9 April 2002

National's SOE's spokesman, Murray McCully, has called on Television New Zealand to release immediately the proposed protocols for increased board involvement in programming.

"TVNZ chairman Dr Ross Armstrong has spent many months and tens of thousands of dollars using external legal advisors, including an Oxford University don and a Wellington Queen's Counsel, to devise protocols for greater board involvement. Those protocols will go to the next TVNZ directors' meeting," says Mr McCully.

"TVNZ should release the draft material immediately. A proposal for involving politically appointed directors in TVNZ programming, particularly news and current affairs, is a matter of huge public interest. The proposals should be released and debated.

"TVNZ is the state broadcaster, owned by the public. It should not be treated as the political plaything of the chairman and the Minister," said Mr McCully.

"If they really have nothing to hide, they will release all of the relevant papers today," says Mr McCully.

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